Apparel sales soar during holidays

The holiday shopping season turned in a robust performance, according to MasterCard SpendingPulse.

SpendingPulse aggregates payments using MasterCard credit cards and also uses surveys to estimate payments using cash and checks.

Overall holiday sales from Nov. 5 to Dec. 24 rose 5.5% vs. the same period of 2009, excluding auto sales.

The apparel category recorded strong sales, with sales rises 11.2%. Menswear sales rose 10.5% and women’s increased 5.6%.

Ecommerce sales grew 15.4%.

The luxury category continues to improve, with sales rising 6.7%. Jewelry sales rose 8.4%.

One disappointment was the electronics category, were sales rose a modest 1.2%. SpendingPulse theorized falling television prices were to blame.